Functioning of banks with foreign capital in the context of ensuring the financial security of Ukraine

Abstract

The article examines modern features of the functioning of banks with foreign capital from the point of view of ensuring the financial security of Ukraine. It was established that banks with foreign capital play an important role in the development of the country's financial sector: in 2019–2023, they formed more than a quarter of the volume of net assets, liabilities and net profit of the domestic banking system. At the same time, according to the results of the analysis of the trends of changes in the specific indicators of infrastructure, net assets, liabilities and profit, a reduction in the presence of banks with foreign capital in the Ukrainian financial market was recorded due to the worsening of the geopolitical situation in the country. The declining nature of the rate of growth of lending by banks with foreign capital to individuals and legal entities was noted. At the same time, it was emphasized that the less rapid fall in the volume of lending to business entities compared to lending to individuals is due to several stimulating measures by the Government and the National Bank of Ukraine regarding the more active participation of banks in lending programs of the real sector of the economy. The change of priorities in the activity of banks with foreign capital towards the investment direction is also noted. Based on the analysis of the dynamics of the share of foreign capital in the authorized capital of Ukrainian banks, it was revealed that the level of concentration of foreign banking capital in the national financial system has decreased by almost four times. Conclusions were made about the probability of additional financial risk and the threat of deterioration of the economic situation in the country due to the reduction of access channels to foreign investments. In this regard, it is proposed to increase the competitiveness of domestic banks by actively implementing the principles of sustainable development. It is emphasized that for the implementation of ESG approaches, there is a need to improve the organizational culture of banks, to establish effective interaction with society and state authorities. It is noted that the high positions in the ratings of banks with foreign capital confirm the possibility of forming a positive reputational impact based on the effective management of ESG risks of banking activity, which contributes to increasing the volume of assets and profits of banks.